WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College football team hosts Ohio Northern University (ONU) for a Homecoming game on Saturday. Kickoff from Williams Stadium is slated for 2 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Ohio Northern. The Fightin' Quakers are 0-2 on the season and 0-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play after a 35-10 loss at Heidelberg University last weekend. The Polar Bears are 1-1 on the year after an OAC victory at Muskingum University by a score of 39-10.
The Coaches: Bryan Moore, a 1999 graduate of Hiram College, begins his third season leading Wilmington's football program. Moore began instilling his vision on the program having brought in two large freshman classes. He has two victories over Earlham College and snapped a 40-game OAC losing streak by defeating Capital University in his first season. Previously, Moore spent time at both Bluffton University and Heidelberg. Dean Paul is in his 16th season as ONU's head football coach. The Polar Bears have a 102-54 overall record under Paul's leadership.
The Offense: Kyle Barrett has thrown for an average of 271 yards per game through two contests of his junior season. Barrett has a multitude of targets at wide receiver including Ace Taylor, who has hauled in 15 receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Itika Wynn, Jr., who grabbed a dozen receptions at Heidelberg, has caught 14 passes for a team-best 187 yards. Luke Richardson, a Second Team All-OAC honoree in 2018, also has over 100 reception yards. Anthony McFadden has thrown for 380 yards to go along with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Christiaan Williams has rushed for over 100 yards per game while Austin Eck has a dozen receptions for 175 yards.
The Defense: Ameer Jackson, Tavion Bryant and Tre'Quez Parks have all tallied at least 19 tackles while Jackson and Bryant lead the squad with 11 solo tackles. Bryant and Parris Weathersby have both recorded three tackles for loss. Weathersby and Brandon Weaver have Wilmington's two sacks while Parks picked off a Heidelberg pass last weekend. Mark Niles leads the ONU defense with an average of 10 tackles per game while Josh Bever has an interception and three tackles for loss for the Polar Bears.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 13.5, ONU 26.0, points per game allowed – Wilmington 27.5, ONU 26.0, yards per game – Wilmington 292.0, ONU 333.5, yards per game allowed – Wilmington 326.5, ONU 336.5, passing yards per game – Wilmington 249.5, ONU 190.0, passing yards per game allowed – Wilmington 165.0, ONU 194.0, rushing yards per game – Wilmington 42.5, ONU 143.5, rushing yards per game allowed – Wilmington 168.0, ONU 142.5.
Coaching Connection: Dean Paul, while the head coach at then Thomas More College, hired Bryan Moore as an assistant coach.
Series History: Wilmington has not beaten ONU since joining the OAC prior to the 2000 football season. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics, live video and live audio of the game will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: Wilmington travels to Muskingum University for an OAC contest next Saturday, Sept. 28.
